Show government runs unique breeding farm in vermont by BAUKHAGE atwi analyst and commentator washington D C some time ago the world was startled to learn from pravda the official communist party newspaper in moscow that it was a russian who discovered wireless as radio was called in its youth and as if that enough it was announced later by the same authority that the electric light which poor thomas edison certainly thought he had something to do with was likewise a russian invention if I 1 ever read as some day I 1 fear I 1 shall that ice cream sodas and hot dogs were first discovered on a pleasant afternoon by some mysterious muscovite as he sat dreaming on his back steppes I 1 shall announce that and vodka are american products and that the volga boatmen were simply a prodigal local of the CIO maritime union meanwhile however I 1 am reminded by the department ot of agriculture that one thin thing which Is aa american as am america e rt c a and which no foreigner had better try to ampro p as a 11 home grown product is the morgan horse justin morgan is immortalized in bronze and you can see him today standing baukhage on his pedestal ped estal before the main stable of the united states morgan horse farm which covers about 1000 acres of rolling wooded country two miles north of middlebury vt the original farm of acres was presented to the united states department of agriculture by joseph bitell battell colonel battell had long been an admirer and breeder of 0 morgan horses and had founded the american morgan register th the i farm was established in 1507 1907 the area was increased by an additional gift of about 35 acres by colonel battell in 1808 1908 and by purchase of about acres from middlebury college in 1917 the land underlain with limestone Is well adapted to he production of horses borss in the selection ot of foundation breeding stock and in planning subsequent matl emphasis was placed upon size and quality and ability to perform the three gaits walk trot and canter these points morgan brood mares with their foals run ran in one of the pastures of the department of agricultures agri cultures U S morgan horse farm near middlebury vt continue to be emphasized also every effort has been made to preserve adequate muscling and depth of body and to pre preserve sirve and enhance it ance desirable temperament the stocky stallion original ot of the postmortem effigy was named tor for its owner a singing schoolmaster was foaled coaled in 1793 and died in 1821 he 1 I mean the stallion not the schoolmaster had ek a romantic career and he is the progenitor of the breed which as the department of agriculture says is one of the lew few breeds ot of horses developed in the united states justin was a 11 small active animal of great power and endurance with the reputation U ot of being able to 0 outrun and any other horse horge in vermont and the neighboring tates states ile he had the power to transmit these qualities says the department to his three known sons and the united states government is doing its share to perpetuate the characteristics for which his ilk is known beauty easy keeping soundness endurance and spirit coupled with gentleness the first time I 1 ever went tover to vermont I 1 was attracted to these plucky little horses later I 1 le learned more about the morgan horse he weighs less than 1000 pounds he be is not over 14 hands high round bar belled with powerful chest and leg muscles a proud head and a stout heart he has done a lot to develop the state of vermont and his adventures have carried him far afield in a but remarkably accurate story of justin I 1 marguerite henry tells how the boy joel who gentled justin as a colt later lost track of him and finally found him again and how joel in his cavalry uniform with a sprig prig ot of evergreen in lils his helmet halmet sat fat proudly on his diminutive mount when president monroe re viewed the green mountain boys when they came back from the war of 1812 the author has joel say about justin afterward xie ile was just a little work horse that cleared the he fields and helped vermont grow up cp come to think of it hes like us ns lies hes american hats what he Is american the morgan horse helped other states and territories grow up too for their equine brotherhood went west with the emigrating farmers and more than one american soldier was proudly mounted on a morgan as he went into battle G general en custer rode off on a morgan horse when he went out to fight the indians a whole regiment of cavalry had morgan mounts in the civil war breeding program Is way now the morgan horse breed er ers S dr mcfee of the animal husbandry division of the department of agriculture told me have given more attention to the traits desirable in a riding horse forty descendants ants of justin became famous as trotters some of you remember such names as ethan allen alien black hawk and dan patch at the morgan morg an farm today usually about forty five horses are under test according to the official description the breeding program there calls for the measurement of each youngster youngs tv at one year of age at two years and at three years all ali are trained under saddle and in harness and are put through controlled performance and endurance trials when about three years old the e data thus obtained form the pe permanent manent records of the individuals they are used also in studies of sire and dam inheritance and as criteria lor for formulation the stations breeding program for the tests of three year olds the departments horse specialists have devised specific trials to meas urethe walking and trotting gaits and the horses endurance in harness and under the saddle always versatile the morgan was as chipper when he went to the meeting huse house on sunday pulling palling the surrey with the fringe on the top as it was weekdays when it could drag a log to the sawmill which often took a team of its big brothers to budge and where buggies boggles are still used often find a morgan between the shafts lie ile Is used on the trail too for his forte these days seems to be under the saddle the morgan horses have found homes tar far from the shadow of their native green mountains and today the stock probably Is increasing more rapidly in california than anywhere in the east I 1 regret to say that on my last trip to vermont this summer though mighty mount mansfield looked up at the heavens with the same stern profile that it did when I 1 first panted pack laden to its top the maple sugar bug ar tasted as good though it cost too much the mist still held the peak of killington KU Kil lingon as gently as ever in its graceful fingers but I 1 missed the quick tattoo of those small strong hooves on the hard highways highway and the silhouette of an arched neck against the sky above a mountain pasture im glad that uncle sam li Is doing his part in the shadow of justins statue to t perpetuate the breed that Is just like us as joel said american |